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Summary List of stories Phase II Night: Ashes, Metal, And Corruption << chapter 55 Chapter 56 of 75 Probing For Answers chapter 57 >> << previous scene Scene 2 of 2 next scene >> Location Participants Time Summary Prologue | Phase I | Phase II | Epilogue 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 Text Scrivener and Luna returned home to find Antares and Twilight both worried and waiting for them, but just Scrivener passing Gymbr down to Antares seemed to be enough to answer their most-pressing questions. While Scrivener made breakfast for Antares, letting the colt help out, Luna explained to Twilight quietly what had happened, and of Gymbr's fate. Luna felt very little pity for the monster, and when she saw Twilight's sympathetic look, she couldn't help but ask moodily: "Does thou not understand that some creatures simply do not deserve mercy? Have thrown away all their chances, all their freedom, all their morality, and most often for stupid reasons?" "I do, Luna, I... I do." Twilight hesitated, and then she sighed and shook her head slowly, murmuring: "It's more that... I don't understand how the monster could be so... powerful, could achieve so much, and yet be so... so foolish." "It is almost always foolishness, my friend, that destroys us in the end. Foolishness of two particular kinds, at that: arrogance, and its cousin, egoism. When we become centered on ourselves, on believing that we are always strong and always right..." Luna shook her head slowly, then she smiled faintly and glanced towards Scrivener Blooms and Antares. "That is why I am so glad I have a family. Thou all are what keep me from raising my head too high... for pride snaps necks as surely as it holds heads up." Twilight nodded a bit, an then Luna grinned a little, winking at her. "Although 'tis no folly to be a little prideful and a little arrogant. Why, look at Scrivener Blooms! He is the opposite, after all... dejected and miserable all the time, and no one likes him. They like me far better." Scrivener sighed in the kitchen as Antares giggled at his mother's loud voice, and then the charcoal stallion said dryly to his son: "Don't listen to your mother too much now, Antares, we've talked about this. Balance in all things: maintaining a pleasant medium is something to be far more proud of than running to one extreme or another." "Oh, what does thou know, thou art boring. Be not boring, Scrivener Blooms." Luna scoffed, and then she turned to Twilight and nudged her firmly. "And thou should be more like me and less like Scrivy as well." "I want to be more like you both. Scrivener does have one or two good qualities, after all." Twilight paused, then looked thoughtfully over at the stallion. "Well. I can only think of one. But I'm sure there's another if I think hard enough." Scrivener sighed a bit, and then Luna clapped her hooves suddenly before declaring cheerfully: "Oh! Cowlick is adopting a foal!" Twilight stared in surprise at this, and then Luna grinned widely, reaching up and rubbing slowly at the underside of her muzzle. "And now we simply need Pinkamena to bear a child for my brother... 'twill likely end up being some rampaging monstrosity but all the same, Antares could at least then use his cousin as a pet. The true difficulty would be in keeping Sleipnir from smothering it to death with hugs and Pinkamena from eating the poor foal..." Luna looked thoughtfully over at Twilight, studying her before a slow smile spread across her face, and Twilight winced as she said flatly: "Whatever idea you just had, forget it. Because whenever you get that look on your face, I always end up being talked into something I seriously regret later on." Antares wandered in from the kitchen with a plate of french toast covered in syrup before Luna could reply, and the sapphire mare grumbled and fell quiet. The foal looked between them curiously, then he reached down and picked up the slice of toast, biting into it and chewing thoughtfully before he asked finally: "Why are some foals adopted? Can't Ross put a baby in Cowlick's belly?" Luna coughed violently a few times at this, but when she tried to turn away, Twilight looked over at her with amusement and said: "Oh no, he clearly asked you, miss biological mother. Besides, it could be a way worse question." "Harpy." Luna muttered, and then she sighed before smiling a little down at Antares, hesitating for a few moments. Then, without turning around, Scrivener picked up the lie jar off the counter and shook it briskly, making the candies and coins inside rattle before Luna sighed and said carefully, looking down at Antares softly: "Because sometimes bad things happen to a foal's parents, and because sometimes a father... for whatever reason... cannot... do what is necessary to... put a foal in a mare's... belly." She cleared her throat a bit, and Antares looked up at her quietly for a few moments before he asked finally: "Am I adopted?" Luna smiled amusedly at this, dropping down and bumping their noses together lightly before she kissed it gently. "No, thou art not, Antares, and even if thou wert I would love thou all the same." Antares nodded a few times, hesitating... and then Luna nodded, glancing at Twilight as the violet mare realized why Luna had been hesitant: something that they had never told Antares both because of how young he was and because... it was easy even for her to forget that... "But thy sister, Scarlet Sage, is adopted. I don't believe we've ever spoken of this, have we?" The colt shook his head a few times, then he picked up his french toast and bit into it again, chewing and listening attentively. For a moment, Luna hesitated... but then Scrivener strode into the room, smiling as he offered a plate to them, and Twilight's horn glowed as she lifted it away from him with telekinesis: it was loaded with both french toast as well as bacon, and Luna sighed in relief and pleasure as she quickly picked up some of the latter, chewing it quickly up as Scrivener took over calmly: "It's hard for Scarlet Sage to talk about, like it's hard for me to talk about my parents, and because we don't see her as our adopted daughter, just as... our daughter... we never told you. That, and you're young." Scrivener smiled and reached out, ruffling his mane as Antares looked a little grumpy, but the stallion only laughed and shook his head. "I didn't mean it like that! I mean... Antares, you're growing up so fast. It's... it's hard for Luna and I to keep track of, and to know how much we should be sharing with you and what you need to know and... what you deserve to know." Antares flapped his leathery wings once before furling them, looking placated and more curious now before he asked hesitantly: "What... what happened?" "We found Scarlet Sage outside of Ponyville, being led off by... a monster." Scrivener said carefully: there was no point in making Antares distrust the Phooka of this world, after all, although he wondered whether or not he had to put a coin in the lie jar now for dodging the truth. "Her parents had been... had died, from what looked like... an attack. Scarlet actually grew up for a while in Ponyville, with Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy and a few other villagers... we didn't want to send her to the Canterlot Orphanage or anything." He stopped, then shook his head a bit and continued quietly: "But we adopted her, kind of, on that big trip we've told you bits and pieces about and I know you've heard some of the adults mention now and then. And when everything... came back together after Ragnarok, she was there with us, and... she was our daughter. And that's that." Scrivener smiled a little after a moment, and Antares Mīrus nodded before he smiled and nodded back, repeating: "That's that." Then he picked up his french toast and chewed it thoughtfully, and Luna and Twilight shared their own meal in silence. Scrivener sat back, gazing around at his family, thinking of the girls asleep upstairs in the guest room – for privacy more than anything else – and then he closed his eyes, thinking of how fortunate he was, after everything he had been through, even with the corruption that boiled and bubbled in his mind. Then he looked down as Antares cleared his throat, the foal looking up at him hesitantly before he said finally: "I know... Mom says she doesn't really remember any parents..." "Odin is kind of my parent, I suppose. Filthy old bad-touch lecher parent." Luna grumbled under her breath, and Scrivener sighed before Antares gave her a frown, and she winced visibly at this as Twilight snorted in amusement. "Oh for the love of the Horses of Heaven, thou gave me that look enough when thou wert but a babe! I warn thee, Antares Mīrus, I am thy mother and Scrivy and Twilight will believe my word over thine if they happen to discover the office upstairs was destroyed and I blame thou for it!" "Well. No. We won't now." Scrivener said dryly, and Luna huffed at him as Antares giggled a little and Twilight rolled her eyes in amusement. "Nice try though, Luna. A very reasoned and adult response." Luna swung her horn at him with a huff, and Scrivener flinched away before she grumbled: "Thou art supposed to always side with me, not with our child, Scrivener Blooms. 'Tis unfair that everyone in the household is against me. Thou and Twilight Sparkle and Antares, bah, I am only trying to be helpful." "You're never trying to be helpful. You're just trying to cause trouble." Scrivener replied dryly, and Luna huffed at him again but this time only glowered as Scrivener returned his gaze to Antares, saying softly: "Go ahead." The colt nodded and hesitated a bit, and then he asked finally: "What about your Mom and Dad, Dad? You were... you were born, right?" "I was born, yes." Scrivener couldn't help but smile a bit at this despite the memories that came back, and he traded a look with Luna and Twilight before he said quietly: "A baby... can be born to almost anyone, Antares. Whether they love each other or not, whether they want the baby or not. And because of that, sometimes... ponies who aren't very good people... end up as parents to a foal." He quieted, looking down and shaking his head slowly before he continued softly: "I don't think my mother was... all bad. Just... not ready for a foal, in a relationship with a pony who was... very selfish, and believed very strongly in unicorn superiority. We haven't really talked to you about that but... some ponies think that just because they're a unicorn, or a Pegasus, or an earth pony, it makes them better or more-entitled than everyone else. My father was a pure-blooded unicorn... all the family are unicorns. Just like I'm really a unicorn, but I was born without a horn and... that caused a lot of problems where I'm from." Antares nodded slowly, then he looked up at his horn before spreading his leathery wings, flapping them once... and then he shivered a bit, asking finally: "What... what am I?" "You're our son." Scrivener answered with a small smile, shaking his head slowly and reaching out to pet his son quietly on the head. "You... are whatever you want to be. Unicorn, Pegasus, earth pony... we're all just ponies. Some look different from others but that doesn't matter, any more than your emblem determines what you're going to do for the rest of your life... we all have natural talents we should be proud of, but that doesn't mean it's the only thing we can ever do, ever be good at." The colt nodded, smiling up at his father, and Scrivener smiled back before Antares hesitated and shifted a little. Then he fell quiet as he ate the rest of his breakfast, and Scrivener fetched the foal a sippy cup of orange juice to wash the food down with. Luna smiled and tossed her child one of the last strips of bacon, even though Twilight gave her a worried look... but the sapphire winged unicorn only shook her head a bit as her eyes flicked to the side. The violet mare watched as Antares chewed up the bacon with ease, his sharp teeth glinting... teeth made for ripping and tearing, not grinding. Then Antares looked down and blushed a bit as he seemed to pick up on Twilight's gaze, saying quietly after a moment as he looked down at a hoof: "I know I'm different... I mean, it's not hard to see, especially not since Meadowlark's mommy is a doctor and Meadow always tries to get me to smile at people to show off my teeth. And I know that babies are made up of both moms and dads and other things that get all mixed together in a mare's belly, but... I don't know then why my wings are so..." He stretched them slowly out, gazing at his leathery wings worriedly, and Luna sighed softly as she traded a look with Scrivener. Then Antares nervously looked up at his mother and added quietly: "And I know you're my mommy but... do I have another mommy? A shadow-mommy?" "Antares Mīrus... oh, how I wish we could hide things from thee." Luna smiled faintly despite herself, shaking her head slowly as she studied him for a long few moments, and then she sighed quietly and nodded, closing her eyes. "Very well. Twilight, will thou please go and check on Scarlet Sage and Apple Bloom? I would appreciate it." Twilight smiled a little and nodded, then closed her eyes when Luna leaned over and kissed her cheek quietly. Antares gazed at them curiously, then he watched as Twilight strode past to head to the back door as Scrivener and Luna sat themselves in front of their foal, letting him form thoughts and questions before he finally asked: "Twilight isn't really my second mommy, is she?" "Yes and no." Luna smiled after a moment, reaching up and stroking quietly under Antares' chin. "I and thy father care for Twilight very dearly. Does thou see her like a mother, as a mentor and someone thou can trust, and a friend?" Antares nodded without hesitation, smiling up at her, and then Luna shrugged and said softly: "Then there thou has it. That is the best way for thou to think of Twilight, until thou art a little older and can better understand... the complexities of life. Besides, thou has already asked a difficult question and I can only handle answering one at a time." The foal blushed a bit and nodded again, and Scrivener and Luna traded a look before the sapphire mare sighed and shifted a bit, saying quietly: "Thou knows of Nightmare Moon, and has seen glimpses of her... although much less frequently as thou hast grown older, I am glad to say. But perhaps it is now time for her to meet her... although really, she... she is simply me. We are one in the same, but... different. Oh, 'tis so hard to explain, much less make it make sense to my poor sweet child..." Luna clenched her eyes shut, turning her head away with a grumble, and then she sighed when Scrivener reached up and squeezed her shoulder gently as Antares said quietly: "It's okay, Mom. I'm not scared of you... honest, I'm not." "I... I am not afraid of thou being afraid of me, Antares." Luna murmured, bowing her head silently forwards and closing her eyes. "I am far more afraid of thou... being disappointed in me. Thou holds myself and thy father up as shining stars but I fear we are... flawed." Antares only smiled a little, however, gazing silently up at his mother, and that was enough to make Luna sigh quietly as she nodded apprehensively. For a few moments, there was silence... and then Luna finally said in a slow, careful voice: "Thou has... these differences about thee, Antares, because they are passed on from thy other mother. Thy second mother, so to speak... Nightmare Moon. Because... thou wert touched by her powers." There was silence for a few moments, and then Antares nodded a little, looking silently over his shoulder at his wings, then slowly rubbing his tongue along his teeth before he bowed his head forwards, as Luna said softly: "Nightmare Moon... does... desire to meet thee, child, but I admittedly am... am not entirely fond of this idea. Thou hast... spent some time with her before, aye, but she was not... it was not..." Luna glanced awkwardly away, blushing a little, and Antares nodded a bit, gazing up at his mother quietly before he said softly: "I trust you, Mom. I know you'd never hurt me. And I know you'd never let... anyone or anything hurt me, either." Luna laughed quietly at this, returning her eyes tenderly to her child before she nodded a little, and then she said softly: "Aye, Antares. I shall always, always do my best to protect thee from harm... but 'tis a sad truth that I shall tell thee now, despite being so young, Antares... one, that all ponies must learn eventually, but unfortunately... thou must learn quickly thyself. And it is that even those who care about thee, truly, from the bottom of thy heart, may hurt thee, whether they mean to or not." Antares nodded quietly, gazing up at his mother as Luna looked back down at him. For a few long moments, the quiet spiraled out... and then finally, Antares asked: "When... when can I meet her?" Luna looked down at her son... then she sighed quietly before nodding almost grudgingly, murmuring: "Well, I cannot blame thee for being curious. Then... give me a moment, Antares, and I shall speak to Nightmare Moon." Her son nodded back, gazing up at her with those innocent, trusting eyes, and Luna studied him for a moment before finally closing her lids and taking a slow breath. For a few moments, there was only the sensation of Antares' gaze on her... but slowly, that was replaced by a more-hostile, more-excited feeling, as Nightmare Moon whispered in her mind eagerly: He comes to us. I knew that he would... now let me see my son, little Luna Brynhild. Luna felt Nightmare Moon pushing towards the surface, struggling for control, saw blades and glinting teeth and supernatural flames, but she concentrated and kept the presence back as she thought clearly: Thou shall behave thyself: speak to him, and speak kindly, and do not antagonize, manipulate or upset him, or there shall be hell to pay. Nightmare Moon only laughed quietly at this, before she whispered soothingly back: Oh Luna, you should know me better than that... harm my own progeny? Never. Not when he is growing up exactly how I desire... Luna shivered at this, and then Nightmare Moon added kindly: And fear not. I shall not inspire fear in him... I shall not even show my true face. I shall instead don old memories, and my old, familiar shape... With that, Luna felt her head forcibly tilting upwards as her horn glowed before the same light spread over her body, Antares staring in amazement as the aura shrouded Luna, then visibly grew and changed. Then, slowly, it faded... and Scrivener grimaced a little as Antares stared at the sight of black-coated, burning-eyed Nightmare Moon as her eyes slowly opened and she smiled calmly, gazing down and saying softly :"Hello, my son... so at last, we have the pleasure of our first true meeting..." Antares slipped back a little, knocking his sippy cup over as he did his best to repress his trembles, but Nightmare Moon only smiled calmly and continued in her flowing, charismatic tones: "Oh, do not fear me, child, you are my son. I would never harm you..." "This isn't make-believe, is it?" Antares whispered, looking up as Scrivener carefully slipped over to his son, and the colt half-curled against him as he stared over Nightmare Moon, from her prideful posture to her sharp and animal eyes. "You're... you're..." "I am Nightmare Moon." the dark-coated winged unicorn leaned forwards, saying kindly: "And I have a question for you, Antares Mīrus. It is a very simple question, do not worry... but do you like to fly?" Antares looked hesitant, and then he nodded slowly before Nightmare Moon gave a self-satisfied smile, looking over at Scrivener Blooms. "See? I did it for the foal's benefit. I gave him a gift. I am so fond of giving gifts... as a matter of fact, I have another if you would like, Antares. Another little gift I would like to share with you, from loving mother to adored son..." Scrivener grimaced at this as Luna growled in Nightmare Moon's mind, where she was doing her best not to leap forwards to try and strangle and pummel the dark passion-made creature back into submission... but then Antares asked hesitantly, with a child's tact and a child's instincts: "What... what kind of gift?" Nightmare Moon smiled at this, leaning down and saying gently: "Power." For a moment, there was silence, as Luna growled and Scrivener glared at the dark entity... but Antares only smiled after a moment, asking curiously: "Why would I want that?" This response seemed to dumbfound Nightmare Moon, as she stared down at the innocent foal... and then a faint frown crested her features as Scrivener smiled despite himself at his son, feeling a swell of pride and faith in the colt. The child who was still too young, too innocent, to feel the longings and desires that so many adults did... to be worried and concerned over things like strength and possession and rank and status. He was smart, and strong, and developing fast, but he was still a young, happy child, for all of that: he was still able to accept things simply as a matter of course, without question or judgment. That magic state, that Scrivener wanted to nurture, not stomp out; that if ponies were able to keep just a little more of as they grew into adults, maybe society wouldn't be as screwed-up as it often was. But the most wonderful thing about it, particularly at this moment in time, was the way that Nightmare Moon was still trying to scramble for an answer, tilting her head back and forth slowly as she struggled to think of something to say before Antares bowed his head forwards and said quietly: "Mom and Dad already take care of me and give me everything I need. And when I grow up, I'm gonna be real strong, just like they are... but my parents taught me we need to earn everything. That some stuff you gotta grow up into, like clothes and armor and... and getting to use Mom's special paint tools or read the big books in Dad's office. I don't really need power right now... I don't have anything I could do with it." "What about... about using it for good, to protect your friends, your family? Don't you want to protect and give back to your parents?" Nightmare Moon asked quickly, but she still sounded a little flustered, making her less alluring and more pleading. And Antares only smiled again in response anyway, shaking his head as he giggled a little. "That'd be silly... they're grown-ups, and I'm just a little colt right now. When I'm a grown-up, then I'll protect people... but Mom and Dad always say it's their job to protect me, and protect everypony else, too. You should give them the power. They need it more. They deserve it more, too, for all the good they do. I just play make-believe and do my best to learn from Twilight and... try and be good." "And you do an excellent job, Antares. An admirable job." Scrivener said firmly, rubbing a hoof slowly along his son's back before he looked up at Nightmare Moon, saying softly: "So I think that makes it pretty clear. Your generosity is appreciated, but... you can keep your gifts for now. You've already given us plenty." Nightmare Moon gave Scrivener a meditative look, and then she nodded slowly after a moment before her eyes drew back to Antares, saying softly to the foal: "Very well. I understand you are a child, Antares... but if you will allow me to give you some advice, remember to always plan for the future." Antares nodded quietly, looking apprehensive, but not afraid, as he gazed nervously at Nightmare Moon... and then, finally, the colt asked: "Why do you have all those scars?" Nightmare Moon frowned at this, looking down at herself as Scrivener looked over the black-coated equine in surprise: none of her wounds or scars or torture-marks were visible, and she turned honestly-interested eyes back to Antares after a moment before she leaned down and asked: "What do you mean, child? What do you see?" "You're hurt. Here." Antares said softly, reaching up and touching his own breast, and Nightmare Moon leaned back, looking stung... and strangely, a little afraid. "I'm sorry." "There is no need to apologize." Nightmare Moon said after a moment, and then she stood slowly and stepped forwards, leaning down until her face was only inches away from Antares. But there was no hostility, no malevolence, as she studied him intently and closely, and he looked fearlessly up, his anxieties seeming to fade before Nightmare Moon murmured softly: "Yes. I see now. I understand and I apologize for my earlier misconduct." Gently, Nightmare Moon lowered her horn to touch the tip of hers to Antares, and he blushed and twitched at the small spark before the dark-coated equine slid backwards and smiled calmly, raising her head slowly and proudly. "Yes. Do not hesitate to ask for me if you desire my advice... do not be afraid to reach out to me in your waking or your sleeping hours. I shall always be there for you, Antares Mīrus... you are a different brand of darkness than I am. But I am glad for it. It will give our connection all the more meaning." She fell silent, and then smiled again as her eyes roved to Scrivener. "May I have a few hours of wakefulness, Scrivener, to enjoy with my beloved master and husband? You trusted Gymbr enough to speak freely with it and let it share a dream... trust in me, as well, won't you? You know that my devotion is absolute." Antares looked confused, as if he was picking up a bit of the story beneath the words, and Scrivener nodded hesitantly before he looked quietly down at his son, saying softly: "Nightmare Moon and I are going to take a walk for a little while, okay? I'm... going to go get Twilight, let her know what's going on." He tossed a hesitant look at Nightmare Moon, but he felt a mental rumble from Luna telling him to go ahead, that she would let him know if the dark entity tried to do anything foolish. But Nightmare Moon had turned fascinated eyes back to Antares, and although the foal looked like he was having difficulty understanding what was going on, he didn't seem afraid as he nodded quietly to his father. Scrivener headed to the back door and pushed it open to find Twilight sitting outside on the back deck with a book in front of her... and he looked at her for a few moments, then said in a half-amused, half-exasperated voice. "Really?" "I like it." Twilight smiled a bit, closing the book and looking down at the cover: it was titled: 'Unicorn Horns,' written in swirling font, and there was a simple image of two crossed horns embossed below the words. "You could have come up with a better title, though." "I could have. I could do a lot of things better but... I choose not to. Sometimes, flaws are important." Scrivener said softly, striding forwards to reach out and touch the book cover, and Twilight gazed at him softly before he shook his head and smiled. "Twenty-six poems, and thirty pages of prose. I'm sure some people would love it but a lot more would hate it. But the bad opinions wouldn't matter, and in this case, neither would the good ones... all that matters with this kind of stuff is that it has the right impact on... the one person it's written for." "And it did." Twilight closed her eyes, bowing her head forwards as she hugged the book silently against her chest with her forelegs. Then she finally smiled a little, opening her soulful violet irises to look out at him and study him quietly. "And yet you get mad at me for reading it every now and then." "Nothing about our relationship makes sense, Twilight, that's probably the only reason it's still going." Scrivener said mildly, and the violet mare laughed and shook her head before she put the book aside, and the charcoal stallion glanced towards the stairs leading to the second floor as he asked curiously: "How's the girls?" "Scrivener." Twilight gave him an amused look, and the charcoal stallion grumbled under his breath and looked at her pointedly in return, and Twilight Sparkle finally rolled her eyes. "One day you'll learn to just come out and say things. But well... Apple Bloom and Scarlet Sage are still asleep. I think they just had a long night." Scrivener cleared his throat, and Twilight shook her head violently, saying hurriedly: "I mean, I think they were up all night with each other... no, wait, I mean... Scrivener!" The charcoal stallion cleared his throat loudly again, trying to hide his grin as he looked away before Twilight glared at him, and then he said with relish: "Oh Twilight. This is why I always enjoy having you around. You have such a... a way with words." Twilight only grumbled under her breath, and then Scrivener glanced up at the second floor, saying softly: "Still, though, thinking of my little girl... moving into her own place, with the pony she loves and formed both literal and metaphorical bonds with... I bet they probably were up until morning talking. And see, Twilight? I added one word at the end and it went from dirty to heartwarming." Twilight rolled her eyes and reached out to shove him lightly, and Scrivener smiled as he staggered backwards before he added quietly: "Nightmare Moon and I are going to go for a walk. She wants some... time out, as she likes to phrase. I'd like you to stay here with Antares... just because I don't want Antares exposed too much to her right away. He's already pretty confused about the whole thing, after all... his mother has two sides to her, two... more-than-personalities, and of course there's the whole Twilight Mommy thing that no other families in Ponyville have – or advertise, at least – and... a lot for him to learn about even though he's just a kid." Scrivener hesitated, then looked down... but as he began to turn, Twilight leaned forwards and said softly: "You know that I was... always worried about how... my presence would impact Antares. And you know I researched it a lot, but more than that, I did what you and Luna do. I felt things out, I judged for myself and... decided to trust in both my instincts and yours and that Antares, well... it wouldn't hurt him." Twilight slipped out of her seat, and Scrivener gazed back over his shoulder at her before the violet mare closed her eyes and hugged him around the neck tightly, making him smile as he reached a hoof up to quietly stroke along a foreleg. "We all preach acceptance and tolerance... but only when it fits within our standard of vision, our social norms, otherwise our society wants it rooted out and destroyed and hammered and forced to conform. But we're not part of that society anymore and I wouldn't trade this for the world. Besides..." She smiled and drew back, gazing at him affectionately. "Me and Luna pretty clearly boss you around, so I don't think he's going to go out to try and assemble some harem of mares, after all." "Maybe he'll be smart and know better than to marry a mare at all." Scrivener said mildly, and then he winced when Twilight smacked him even as she laughed. "What? Hey, Luna's the one I'm married to, anyway, you're the... well. You're you." Scrivy smiled amusedly over at her, and Twilight nodded at this, softening. "Yeah. I'm me. Glad to be here with you and Luna, always." She began to step forwards, then paused and turned, her horn glowing as she lifted her book from the table with a smile. Scrivener shook his head with a chuckle as he walked into the house, striding through the kitchen and followed shortly after by Twilight as he gazed into the den room. Nightmare Moon, however, was simply watching as Antares colored in a book, looking oddly intent before her piercing gaze roved to Scrivener, and she smiled as Twilight stepped up beside him, saying softly: "Luna and I agree on few things these days... but it is very nice to see you together. That makes us happy... but of course, for selfish reasons, little as Luna admits it. After all, we do not like the idea of having to choose between you... this way, we get what we desire without ever having to choose." Antares looked up from his coloring, but Nightmare Moon only smiled to the foal, saying kindly: "Do not fear, Antares Mīrus. It's nothing you have to concern yourself with. Scrivener Blooms... shall we go?" "Alright." Scrivener said softly, and he glanced over his shoulder at Twilight, who nodded hesitantly to him before the stallion smiled over at Antares supportively, saying gently: "Be good for Twilight, kiddo." Antares nodded quietly back, and then Scrivener's eyes roved quietly after Nightmare Moon as she turned and headed for the door, the stallion following after the dark-coated equine and silently hoping that she would stay true to her word: one short visit for another period of peace without needing to worry about her plays for power on top of everything else. Category:Transcript Category:Story